Military barracks: poor living conditions undermine quality of life and readiness

Abstract: DOD houses hundreds of thousands of service members in military barracks. Reports of poor conditions have raised questions about DOD’s management of barracks. The Joint Explanatory Statement and Senate Report 117-39, accompanying bills for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, included provisions for GAO to review DOD’s efforts to maintain and improve military barracks. This report examines, among other things, the extent to which DOD has (1) reliably assessed barracks conditions, (2) made informed decisions on barracks funding, and (3) conducted oversight to improve barracks. GAO analyzed DOD policies, budgets, and other documentation; interviewed DOD housing officials; toured barracks at a non-generalizable sample of 10installations; and met with installation officials and barracks residents.